A five-person team representing North Carolina CERT (Canine Emergency Response Team) and an equal number of highly trained cadaver dogs joined Northampton County Sheriff’s officers on a ground search for Moses, missing since 2011, in a small wooded area located near his former home along W.J. Duke Service Road near the Rehoboth community.

“We were hopeful that today’s search would produce results,” said Northampton Sheriff’s Captain Chuck Hasty, one of three NCSO officers at the scene. “We failed to find Mr. Moses today, but we’ll keep looking. This case remains very active. We’re still following up on leads and have some interviews set up for next week.”

“We want to solve this case just as badly as the Moses family,” said Northampton Sheriff Jack Smith. “We appreciate the efforts today from NCCERT. We will use whatever resources we can to solve this case, as well as the Shawn Alston case (missing since the fall of 2012). These families want some closure.”

Northampton County Sheriff’s Captain Chuck Hasty (left) and NCCERT leader Mac Morgan study a map of the wooded area to be searched. Staff Photo by Cal Bryant

Friday, NCCERT volunteers, using two dogs at the time, zigzagged their way through the wooded area. Two complete sweeps of the area were performed. An abandoned home and lot, heavy with underbrush, on the same property were also a part of the search grid.

In the woods, the first four dogs through each showed interest in one specific area. That led team leader Mac Morgan – a retired law enforcement officer now living in Wendell – to take in “Tucker” (a golden retriever) for one final search.

“Nothing,” said Morgan as he, Tucker, and the other four NCCERT volunteers exited the woods for the final time. “All of the dogs showed some interest in there, but none gave a final alert. I can say with about 90 percent accuracy that there’s not a body in those woods.”

Morgan said the “area of interest” that the dogs hit upon was perhaps methane gas.

“I’m pretty sure it’s methane gas, which is natural with a body that’s in decomposition, but it’s also part of green matter, leaves and limbs, on the floor of a woods. That area didn’t convince the dogs that a body was there,” he noted.

The search included each handler using GPS to plot their trek through the wooded area. That information was downloaded onto a computer.

Morgan said the dogs go through a rigorous certification process in HRD (human remains). All their training and field searches, to even include regular check-ups at an animal clinic, are well documented. They are trained by smell and will alert their handler to a body by laying down on top of that area. Morgan said that action indicates a final alert that something is there.

Information shared by the Moses family led the search team and dogs to this particular wooded area on Friday.

“We did not have any definite information that Mr. Moses may be buried there; it was just a hunch we were acting upon,” said Hasty. “We received permission from the landowner (Dr. Boone Mara) to conduct the search.”

The NCCERT volunteers and dogs were also supposed to search an area in the western part of the county, related to the Alston case, on Friday. However, Hasty reported that the property owner did not wish to cooperate with law enforcement and denied the search request.

Alston was last seen on Oct. 18, 2012 at 11:30 p.m. He was leaving a neighbor’s house on Berry Scott Trail in Garysburg, walking in the direction of his home. He was wearing a black shirt and khaki cargo shorts. He is 40 years old, 5’7” tall, and weighs between 190-210 lbs. with brown hair and brown eyes. The Robinson/Alston family is offering a $500 reward for any information leading to his whereabouts.

Moses was last seen on June 16, 2011 at his home in the Rehoboth community, located between Rich Square and Jackson. The day he vanished, a fire destroyed his home. Both of his vehicles and his motorcycle were still on the property. Moses (age 61 at the time of his disappearance) is 6’0″ tall and 200 lbs. He has brown eyes and black hair with shades of gray trimmed in a box-style cut. The Moses family is offering a $10,000 reward for information that will lead to his whereabouts.

Hasty said there has been no activity on Moses’ bank account or cell phone since the days leading up to him vanishing in thin air.

Anyone with information can contact the SBI at 1-800-334-3000 regarding Moses or call Northampton County Crime Stoppers at 1-252-534-1110 regarding Alston.

This article was published in full with permission from the Roanoke Chowan News Herald

RICH SQUARE NC— A search for a man missing since 2011 and involving cadaver dogs turned up nothing Friday, but police say they will continue looking.

Daniel Moses missing since 2011 from rich square NC

Capt. Chuck Hasty, head of investigations for the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office, said the search of the area near W.J. Duke Service Road in Rich Square Friday, brought about at the request of the family of Daniel McCoy Moses, turned up no new evidence in the case.

Moses, 62, disappeared June 16, 2011. The house in which Moses was living burned down the following day, with no remains found in the fire. Moses’ sister Shelia previously told The Daily Herald the last call from her brother’s cell phone was made June 12, 2011.

The search was conducted by dogs trained to detect human remains, Hasty said, some coming from as far away as South Carolina. Authorities were at the location from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Wendell-based North Carolina Canine Emergency Response Team staged the search for Moses’ remains, Hasty said. The group, a nonprofit organization which conducts search operations for missing persons and uses dogs, sonar and ground personnel, is all-volunteer and is driven by the desire to help families find their missing loved ones.

If you haven’t read the article that’s to follow, you should. Our own Teresa Cummings (On Left In Photo) is featured in this article about Search and Rescue K9 handlers. Her experience is rare, and her story is compelling. Not only is she a great person but she is a top notch Bloodhound handler. Congratulations Teresa, you deserve this!! See below:

From Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine:

A Tail of Two Teresas

“Let’s be honest. Dogs are more than just pets. They’re man’s best friend, trail partner, vacuum cleaner, and little spoon (or maybe big spoon) all wrapped up in one. In the world of search and rescue (SAR), though, canine companions have proven themselves much more than that. They’re workers, the unsung heroes of emergency services, perusing the woods in the dead of night to search for our missing loved ones. It takes a special type of dog to ignore a fleeing deer or a pile of garbage and stay on task, but it also takes a special person to be that canine’s partner. SAR dog handlers are the folks behind the scenes who willingly volunteer hundreds of hours and invest thousands of dollars for the sake of communities in need. By their canine’s side day and night, these handlers endure the elements and brave the hazards so we may have some ease of mind. Meet Teresa and Teresa, two handlers in the Blue Ridge who share more than just a name and a love of dogs.”

NC CERT held their annual Eastern Search and Rescue exercise this February and the event was an enormous success. We would like to thank all of the teams who participated including our presenters.

Nona Best from the NC Center for Missing Persons gave us an in depth presentation on what the center is about. The presentation went into detail about Amber and Silver alerts. We would like to thank Nona for coming out and taking the time to expand our knowledge about the center and alerts themselves.

To the North Carolina Highway Patrol Aviation Unit, thank you for your time not only presenting safety tips for searchers around operating aircraft, but also for directing search operations during a specialized training session and allowing many of our participants to work with the helicopter. Many of the teams had not had that opportunity in the past, and we appreciate you working with us on making that happen. Your dedication and professionalism is well noted and we look forward to working with you again next year.

To our participants. Thank you for coming, and we hope you learned a lot about large search operations. We also appreciate you helping with cleanup and other items that you weren’t required to do. It showed just how much teamwork pays off no matter what organization you’re with.

To the Salvation Army and Red Cross, thank you so much for your support. Your dedication and your support made this a smashing success! You kept everyone fed, warm and ready to go for our next missions. Many of our folks were tired but you were there to talk to us, hand us a cup of coffee, feed us GREAT food and be a good friend to all involved. Your efforts will not be forgotten.

If you’d like to see more information about this exercise, please follow the media links below: